Auto brand information thrives through storytelling

Rich mvultimedia that tells a story is a boon to auto sales.

Digital content, whether delivered through a website or an on-site kiosk, is a great boon to auto salespeople. This information helps dealers ensure their shoppers are confident in their decision to buy before they ever come face-to-face with an employee - a hugely valuable trait in an era defined by self-guided shopping and a digital path to purchase expected by today's customers.

OEMs and dealerships have the opportunity to create excellent branded digital experiences that will convince shoppers they've made the right choice. In addition, touchscreen kiosks offer a great way to present this content within the dealership, ensuring people browsing at home and shoppers who have made the journey to the showroom receive consistent messaging.

"Brands can tell a story to show their unique character."

Important trends in digital car sales
A recent piece by Econsultancy contributor Geoff Turral tackled the do's and don'ts of digital marketing for auto brands. The author specified that if brands focus too heavily on data points with no context, they might lose their viewers. While people may want pricing information to be available, they don't want to be confused by a wall of disconnected offers. Turral underlined the fact that brands can tell a story, show their unique character and establish that a particular car suits the consumer who is browsing.

Buying a car often calls for an emotional connection between the brand and the purchaser and, with the right mix of multimedia, brands can hit the mark. According to Turral, JD Power and Associates explained that "an emotionally connected story and visual storytelling" are useful parts of an auto website. With content that plays to consumers' thoughts and feelings about their next vehicle purchase, brands can establish a link with prospective buyers before offering up detailed numbers.

Turral pointed to a Porsche website feature that includes a stream of OEM, dealer and consumer multimedia. This dashboard of content about the brand creates a strong visual identity that will enable an emotional link between the company and its customers. Such a platform may be responsible for keeping consumers interested during their research process.

Digital resources in stores
While a great deal of research today takes place in consumers' homes, there's no reason for brands to stop using their digital resources once shoppers enter dealerships. This is where touchscreen information kiosks come in, allowing dealerships to set up portals for self-guided research that buyers will appreciate. Multimedia will look great on the big screens, enabling in-store browsers to get in touch with the brand story and learn what they need to know.

Users who want to guide their own experience will be drawn to the compelling screens, and when salespeople want to demonstrate the value of the brand's cars, they can use the kiosks alongside the customers. These devices create a consistent and compelling narrative that begins on the OEM website, extends to sites owned by individual dealerships and continues to the sales floor. Advancements in general digital media can be reflected in the quality and context of content that has a contiguous story - this can make a difference in consumers' experience.